There are various applications where it is desirable to separate a mixture of light and heavy particles conveyed in an air or gas stream, particularly in industrial applications involving dust mixed with heavier particles. In these applications cyclone type separators have been used with mixed success in separating out the conveyed particles. Generally such cyclone separators involve feeding a stream of air containing the particles into a cylindrical separating chamber where the particles migrate toward the wall of the cylinder and travel radially downward to the bottom thereof and the bulk of the entering air and some very light, dust-like particles are drawn up and out of the chamber with the exiting air stream. Cyclone separators of this type are described in Alden, Kane "Design of Industrial Ventilation Systems", Fifth Edition, pp. 142-148 Industrial Press 1982.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,090 discloses a cyclonic apparatus wherein the wall of the cyclone chamber is made from a non-porous elastomeric material that flexes in order to minimize particle buildup thereon. U.S. Pat. No. 1,056,552 discloses a dust collector wherein the vertical cyclone is made from a fabric material.